Automatic valve for liquid containers



-Aug; 11, 1942. c. CARSON 2,292,509

' AUTOMATIC VALVE FOR LIQUID CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 23, 1940 I 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR CAMPBELL CARSON A TTORNE Y w 11, 11942- c.CARSON 2,292,509

AUTOMATIC VALVE FOR LIQUID CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 23, 1940 -2Sheets-Sheet 2 N VNTOR i CAMPBELL CARSON Patented Aug. 11, 19 42 UNITEDSTATE S PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC VALVE FOR LIQUID CONTAINERS 3 Claims.

My invention has relation to improvements in automatic valves for oilstorage tanks and it consists in the novel features of construction morefully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

The invention is primarily directed to a valve for automatically closingthe feed line from oil storage tanks to the oil main into which aplurality of feed lines lead. It is a matter of common knowledge that inthe oil fields there are batteries of storage tanks for temporarilyreceiving the oil from the wells which are periodically drained forshipment to the refinery. Where a number of such batteries lead to acommon main, valves of the tanks of one battery should be closed whileanother battery is being drained in order to prevent sucking of air intothe main and diminishing the oil flow. I have devised an automaticcut-off valve that may be disposed between each battery of tanks and theoil main so that when the tanks of any battery are drained the feed pipefrom said tanks will be automatically shut ofi so as not to interferewith the drainage of the tanks of any one battery.

The essential features of my improved valve are that it shall be quickacting and positive and shall be controlled by the flow of oil itself toautomatically open in response to the oil flow and automatically closewhen the oil flow ceases.

The advantages of the invention will be better apparent from a detaileddescription thereof in connection with the accompanying drawings, in

which:

Figure 1 represents a diagrammatic view of a plurality of oil tankbatteries connected to a common main; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of abox in which my automatic cut-off valve is disposed, parts thereof beingbroken away to show the valve in end elevation; Fig. 3 is a verticallongitudinal section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 with the valve shownin elevation and in its closed position; Fig. 4 is a section similar tothat shown in Fig. 3 except that the valve is shown partially open andin section; Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 3 with the valve shownin its uppermost position and fully open; Fig. 6 is a horizontalsectional detail through the valve mechanism taken on the line 66 ofFig. 3; and Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the valvemechanism showing open positions of the valve in dot and dash lines.

Referring to the drawings, B, B, B" represent a plurality of batteriesof oil storage tanks T, the tanks of the respective batteries beingconnected by feed lines I, 2 and 3 to the main 4. Each tank T isprovided with an individual control valve 5 and between each of the feedlines I, 2 and 3 and the main 4 is my automatic cut-oil valve V.

My improved valve V comprises a box 6 having a. removable top 1 securedto a flange 8 by screws 9, within which box 6' is a suitable fitting I0secured over an opening II in end wall 12 of the box. On the oppositeend wall l3 there is an opening 14 over which is secured a flange l5into which is screwed one of the respective feed pipes l, 2 or 3.

An outlet pipe I6 is screwed into the outlet side of fitting 10, while avalve seat I1 is screwed into the inlet side of said fitting. A discvalve 18 is arranged to seat on the valve seat l1, said disc valve beingsecured by a stud l8 and nut l9 to cross-member 20 of a U-shaped leverL, the side arms 21, 2| of which are V-shaped with the apex 22 of the Vprojecting upwardly. Each of the side arms 2|, 2| is pivotally mountednear its extremity on a stud 23 screwed into a boss 24 on the side offitting Hi.

There is a second bifurcated lever 25, the arms 26, 26 of whichterminate in upwardly projecting loops 21, 21 through which pass theside arms 2|, 21 of lever L and to which the arms 26, 26 of lever 25 arepivotally connected by means of bolts 28, 28 held in place by nuts 29,29. Thus the lever 25 is pivotallyconnected to lever L and movablerelative thereto, and lever L is pivotally mounted on the fitting Ill.The upper closed ends 21' of loops 21 are of a length so that when thelever 25 has been moved a substantial distance relative to lever L, theends 21. of the loops will impinge on the apex 22 of lever arms 2| andcarry said lever L upwardly with the lever 25 in any further movementthereof.

There is a hollow ball 30 secured to the free end of bifurcated lever25, the weight of which holds the levers 25 and L in their lowermostposition at which time the disc valve is on its seat l1 and the innerends of lever .arms 28, 26 rest on rollers 3|, 3| mounted on studs 32,32 projecting from thesides of fitting l0. Loops 21, 21 have bottomplates 33, 33 which bear on the rollers 3|, 31 and rotate about saidrollers as a fulcrum when the lever 25 is raised until such time as theclosed ends 21., 21' of loops 21 impinge on apex 22 of the arms 21, 2|of lever L.

When any of the valves 5 are opened to permit oil to flow through feedpipe I and opening H into the box 6 the hollow ball 30 will act as afloat and be raised by the rising level of oil in the box to carrylevers 25 and L upwardly to unseat valve l8 until the fully openposition,

as indicated in Fig. 5, is reached. Of course while the oil level isrising within the box the air is permitted to escape therefrom through avent valve 34, the valve disc 35 thereof being controlled by lever 36and float 31 so as to close the vent opening 38 when the oil level Xrises as indicated in Fig. 5.

By the arrangement of levers 25 and L considerable leverage is appliedat the beginning of the opening of the valve l8 as shown in Fig. 7. Aninspection of this figure will show that while lever 25 is moving aboutthe rollers 21, 21 as a fulcrum through an angle in excess of 45degrees, the lever L which carries the valve 18 will move through anangle of approximately 15 degrees. After the valve I8 is unseated thecombined leverage effective on the valve I8 is considerably reduced sothat the valve will open rapidly through the last movement of the float30. Thus it will be seen that in order to open the valve l8 greatpressure is applied thereto, while after the valve is opened rapidmovement is imparted to it to get the valve in its fully opened positionmore rapidly.

Having described my invention, I claim:'

1. In a valve arrangement for an oil tank, a suitable casing having avalve seat, a disk valve mounted for operation to and from said seat, alever yoke carrying said disk valve, a second lever pivotally connectedto the lever yoke and initially operating about a fixed fulcrum tounseat said valve means on said second lever for impingement on thelever yoke after the valve is unseated, and a float connected to thesecond lever.

2. In a valve arrangement for an oil tank, a suitable casing having avalve seat, a lever arrangement comprising a primary lever and asecondary lever having pivotal connection, stop members in spacedrelation at the end of the primary lever for engagement with thesecondary lever to limit the relative movement of said levers, saidsecondary lever having a disk valve on its free end, said primary leverhaving a float on its free end, and a fulcrum member engaging theprimary lever at the end opposite the float whereby movement of theprimary lever is efl'ectiveon the secondary lever to unseat the valve.

3. A valve arrangement comprising a casing having a valve seat, a leverof the third class pivotally connected thereto, a valve on the 'free endthereof movable to and from said seat, a lever of thesecond classpivotally connected to the lever of the third class, a float on the freeend of the lever of the second class, a fixed fulcrum on the casing forinitially supporting the lever of the second class, and means forcoupling said levers together whereupon they act jointly as a lever ofthe second class about the pivotal connection of the first mentionedlever.

CAMPBELL CARSON,

